BORIS JOHNSON WAS paid almost €60,000 to speak at a conference in Dublin last month. 

The former UK foreign secretary spoke for about 25 minutes at the Pendulum Summit in the Convention Centre Dublin before a question and answer session with RTÉ’s Bryan Dobson.

The latest register for MPs’ financial interests has revealed how much Johnson was paid for the event. 

He received £51,250 (€58,326) for the appearance on 10 January.

During his speech, Johnson argued that politicians are too wary of taking risks and claimed that the media has a tendency to exaggerate them.

Ahead of his on-stage appearance, Johnson had held a meet and greet with some holders of ‘Diamond’ tickets for the event.

The summit had a number of different ticketing levels, ranging from €795-€950, with prices for the Diamond tickets kept under wraps, depending on the applicant.

During the event, Johnson repeatedly told the audience that he did not see infrastructure being established on the Irish border regardless of the manner of the UK’s exit from the EU. 

In his conversation with Dobson, which frequently consisted of both parties speaking over one another, Johnson denied that all goods coming to Ireland from the UK would have to be checked.

The previous register of interests showed that digger manufacturer JCB had paid Johnson £10,000 three days before he gave a speech at its Staffordshire headquarters last month, according to The Guardian. 

With reporting by Rónán Duffy